The weight of the doctor’s words clung to me like a suffocating fog.
Pregnant.
With Duke Trayson’s child.
My stomach twisted violently as I stumbled out of the clinic, my legs unsteady beneath me. The cold evening air did little to cool the heat rising in my chest, my fingers trembling as I reached for my phone. The moment my father answered, my voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper.
"I need an abortion."
Silence.
A long, suffocating silence that made my throat tighten.
Then, my father spoke, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.
"That’s not an option, Mia."
I gripped the phone tighter. "Dad, I can’t—"
"You will," he interrupted, his tone final. "Britney still has amnesia. The marriage needs to hold. And this child will make it stronger."
The line went dead.
I stood there, my entire body numb.
There was no way out.
For weeks, I buried the truth deep inside me, forcing myself to continue the charade. Every morning, I smiled at Duke over breakfast, ignoring the way his eyes studied me a little too closely. Every night, I tucked Lukas into bed, pretending I was his mother, pretending that my own life hadn’t spiraled into something unrecognizable.
But in the silence of my room, when the world was still and I was left alone with my thoughts, the panic crept in.
I was carrying the child of a man I barely knew.
A man who might be a murderer.
And if I wasn’t careful, he would find out that I wasn’t Britney.
I needed a plan.
The only person I could trust was Fay.
One evening, as the mansion lay in eerie silence, I locked myself in the bathroom and dialed her number.
"Mia?" Fay’s voice was hushed, cautious.
"I need you to dig deeper," I whispered, my fingers clutching the edge of the sink. "Find out everything you can about Duke Trayson. Every deal, every enemy, every secret. I need to know what I married into."
Fay hesitated. "Mia, are you sure? You’re already playing with fire."
"I don’t have a choice," I murmured. "I need to know the truth."
A heavy sigh. Then, "I’ll do it."
As I ended the call, a voice from behind sent a sharp jolt through my spine.
"You’re not my real mommy."
My breath caught.
I turned slowly, my heart pounding against my ribcage.
Lukas stood by the doorway, his small frame barely illuminated by the dim light of the hallway. His face was unreadable, but his eyes—those wide, knowing eyes—bore into mine like he had unraveled my entire existence.
A shaky smile forced its way onto my lips. "Lukas, what are you talking about?"
He frowned, his little hands curling into fists. "Mommy never gives me milk. Because I’m allergic."
Cold dread slithered down my spine.
I had given him a glass of milk that morning.
Shit.
I took a careful step forward, my voice soft. "I—I forgot, sweetheart. It won’t happen again."
But Lukas only took a step back, his lip trembling. Without another word, he turned and ran down the hallway.
Straight to Duke.
My pulse skyrocketed as I chased after him, my bare feet hitting the cold floor. "Lukas, wait!"
But it was too late.
Lukas threw open the door to Duke’s study, his voice shrill. "Daddy! Mommy gave me milk!"
Duke, who had been sitting at his desk, immediately stood, his sharp blue eyes snapping to me. His expression darkened, unreadable.
"What?" His voice was dangerously low.
I opened my mouth, struggling to find the right words. "Duke, I—"
"Come here," he ordered.
My legs felt heavy as I stepped forward, my hands clammy. The air in the room had shifted, thick with something suffocating.
"Why did you give him milk?!" Duke asked, his tone eerily calm.
I swallowed hard. "I wasn’t thinking. It slipped my mind."
His gaze didn’t waver. "Slipped your mind?"
The way he said it sent chills down my spine.
"You’re his mother, Britney." His voice dropped lower, his tone razor-sharp. "You don’t forget something like that."
His words coiled around me like a snake.
I forced myself to meet his gaze. "I made a mistake, Duke."
For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, in one swift motion, he grabbed my wrist, yanking me closer. His grip was tight, his fingers digging into my skin.
"You can fool everyone else," he murmured, his breath hot against my cheek. "But you will never fool me."
My stomach twisted.
His grip tightened. "If I ever find out that you’re lying to me, Britney…" He leaned closer, his lips brushing against my ear. "I will kill you."
A blinding fury erupted inside me.
Without thinking, my free hand flew up, slapping him hard across the face.
The sound echoed through the room.
Duke’s head tilted slightly from the impact.
When he looked back at me, his gaze was unreadable.
Then, to my shock, he smiled.
It wasn’t a smile of amusement. It was something darker. Something that made the hairs on my arms rise.
He released my wrist and stepped back, his smirk lingering as he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, my heart racing.
For weeks, I felt his eyes on me. Watching. Waiting. Testing me.
But I refused to break.
Until one night, everything fell apart.
My phone rang in the dead of night, the screen flashing with Fay’s name.
I answered immediately, my voice hushed. "Fay, what is it?"
"Mia," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I found something."
A chill swept over me. "What?"
Fay hesitated. Then, "Duke Trayson is part of a mafia group."
I felt my breath leave my body.
"Mafia?"
"They don’t just kill random people," she continued. "They target powerful figures. People who threaten them."
My hands turned ice cold.
Fay’s voice dropped even lower. "And Mia… your father is next on their list."
The phone nearly slipped from my grip.
Before I could process what she had just said, I felt it.
The unmistakable sensation of cold metal pressing against my temple.
My entire body froze.
A deep, steady voice whispered from behind me.
"Why are you investigating me, Britney?"
Duke.
The gun in his hand was pressed firmly against the side of my head.
I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to remain steady. "Duke, I don’t—"
"Don’t lie to me." His voice was eerily calm. "Who are you talking to?"
My heart pounded against my ribs.
The click of the gun’s safety disengaging sent a sickening wave of dread through me.
"Tell me the truth," Duke murmured, his lips inches from my ear. "Right now."
Seconds stretched into eternity.
Then, in a desperate move, I blurted out the only thing that could save me.
"I’m pregnant."
Everything stopped.
Duke’s grip loosened. His breath hitched.
Slowly, I turned to face him, my pulse hammering. "I’m pregnant, Duke. How could I not be Britney?"
Silence.
Then, without warning, he grabbed me.
Before I could react, his arms wrapped around me in a crushing embrace.
For a brief moment, I thought I had won.
But then—
Something hard slammed against the side of my head.
Pain exploded.
The world spun violently.
I collapsed.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
When I woke up, my wrists were bound.
The air was damp. Cold. The scent of mold filled my nose.
I was in a basement!
And then, from the speaker mounted in the corner, Duke’s voice filled the room.
His tone was calm. Controlled.
"Good thing I found out that my lovely wife has a twin."
I sucked in a sharp breath.
No. No, no, no—
"You should’ve told me that she has amnesia."
He knew.
He finally knew.
